Adjustable holding or locking devices



April 21, 1959 R. cox

ADJUSTABLE HOLDING OR LOCKING DEVICES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 22, 1957 JZCom April 21, 1959 R. cox 2,883,219

ADJUSTABLE HOLDING 0R LOCKING DEVICES Filed Jan. 22', 195'? 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent ADJUSTABLE HOLDING oR LOCKING DEVICES Robert Cox, London, England, assignor to Slide-Lock Limited, London, England Application January 22, 1957, Serial No. 635,292

Claims priority, application Great Britain January 23, 1956 8 Claims. (Cl. 287-58) The present invention relates to adjustable holding de confined, spring means for urging the wedge members to wards one another and operating means connected to the wedge members to move them apart to a limited extent whereby the device is unlocked and adjustment permitted.

Where such a slide lock device has a single(common) spring, or separate springs of equal strength, urging the wedge member towards one another and the wedge members each have the same scope of permitted limited movement, the lock created by the inter-action of the wedges against the guideway is positive (Le. a complete lock) or moveable under pressure equally in either direction; this is as shown and described in the above mentioned British patent specification No. 569,723.

For certain applications of adjustable holding devices of the slide-lock character, it is however desirable to provide for unequal biassing of the wedge members whereby a greater force is required to move the wedge unit in one direction than in the other; this is as shown in the above mentioned British patent specifications Nos. 647,078 and 663,481.

It has now been found requisite to provide an adjustable holding device of the slide-lock character inwhich the wedge unit, while movable in one direction under pressure, can be positively locked by operating means against movement in the other direction unless released by the operating means whereupon it again becomes movable under less pressure than is required for moving it in said first direction.

The object of the present invention is, therefore, to provide an improved or modified adjustable holding device of the slide-lock character which can be positively locked in one direction and which may further be unequally biassed whereby, when the positive lock is temporarily released, a greater force is required to move the wedge unit in one direction than the other.

The invention consists in .an adjustable holding device of the slide-lock character indicated wherein one of the wedge members is normally prevented from movement in a wedge member separating direction by restricting means so that the wedge unit is positively locked against movement in a direction opposite to said separating direction, operating means being provided to move the other wedge member away from said first mentioned wedge member and/or to remove temporarily said restricting means to a plate apertures or slots such that the projection is norpermit release of the positive lock and to allow the de:

vice to slide.

The invention further consists in an adjustable holding device, according to the preceding paragraph, wherein the restricting means normally preventing the movement of one of the wedge members comprises limiting means in contact with the wedge member (or with means on the wedge member) at a point facing oppositely to the,

location of the co-operating inclined faces of the wedge members and wherein the force to be held by the holding device, when positively locked, is applied to said limiting.

means and acts to maintain said limiting means in contact with the wedge member (or means on the wedge.

member) at said point.

The invention still further consists in an adjustable holding device, according to the two preceding para-i graphs, comprising a coupling plate, serving as the aforesaid limiting means, extending over and beyond the cooperating pair of wedge members, spring means intersaid wedge members and located in one of said coupling mally in contact with the side of the aperture remote from the other wedge, the dimensions of the aperture being such that there is a clearance on the opposite side tact with the projection on the other wedge member so. that the other wedge member is freed and the device unlocked and means for connecting the coupling plate 1 to one of the members to be controlled, and held and locked, by the device at the end of the coupling plate a remote from the restricted wedge member.

The invention still further consists in an adjustable:

length stay, strut or link comprising two relatively movable parts and having an adjustable holding device according to any of the preceding paragraphs, for holding the two parts in their adjusted position, wherein one part comprises the channel in which the wedge members of the holding device are accommodated and the other part,

is coupled to the wedge members. I The invention still further consists in an adjustabl length stay, strut or link according to the preceding paragraph, wherein a stop is provided on the channel part adjacent the end thereof remote from its attach-.-

ment point and the cam or equivalent means on the holding device has an extension adapted to make contact, with the stop as the stay, strut or link reaches full eX-;

tension to cause the cam or equivalent means to be displaced and effect positive locking of the holding device 1 against further separation or extension of the stay, strut or link parts.

The invention still further consists in an adjustable length stay, strut or link according to the two preceding paragraphs, wherein a displaceable stop is provided on the channel part at. a predetermined distance along its length and the cam or equivalent means on the holding device has an extension adapted to make contact with 3 the stop in its normal position during extension movef ments of the stay, strut or link to cause the cam orf, equivalent means to be displaced and effect positive Patented Apr'. 21, 1959:,

lockingof the holding device at that point against further separation or extension of the stay, strut or link, unless the cam or equivalent means is manually displaced back to unlock the holding device while at the same time the stop is also displaced and the stay, strut or link further extended so that the means on the cam or equivalent means is clear of the stop.

The invention finds a particularly suitable application in respect of telescopic stays, such as window and like stays or other stays, struts or links conventionally associated with aperture closing means, e.g. lids, doors, hatches, trap doors and the like.

Stays of the character indicated include releasable locking means by which the two (or more) parts of the stay can be locked toge'thcr in any desired position of extension, the locking means being released to permit relative movement of the stay parts in either direction. In certain circumstances it is undesirable that such locking means should remain released, for example, in the case of a stay controlling the opening of a casement window or in the case of an open trap door which may slam and be difiicult or impossible to open from outside."

It is therefore a further object of the present invention to provide an improved telescopic stay, strut, link or the like which includes means for applying a positive lock to the. stay or like parts automatically at a predetermined point or points or as required of stay or the like shortening or extension.

The advantages of the device, according to the present invention, in respect of, for example, a casement Window stay include the following:

'(1) The stay can be positively locked automatically or manually as to length at any point of extension of the stay so that further extension of the stay is totally prevented while allowing shortening movements of the stay parts to be effected when required.

(2) The stay can be positively locked automatically at a specifically predetermined point of extension of the stay as in (1) above as a safety precaution, e.g. locking the window against further inadvertent opening after the window has opened, say, four inches.

(3) The stay can lock against any stay extending movements, that is window opening movements, while being movable towards and to its closed position from the outside, so that, for example, a house window which has been left open either at night or during the absence of the occupants can be closed by, say, a policeman from the outside so that the window is locked in the closed position and cannot be re-opened except from inside the house.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a telescopic strut or stay, such as a casement window stay, to which the adjustable holding device according to the present invention' has been applied by way of example,

Figure 2 is a longitudinal section on an enlarged scale 2 of an adjustable holding device according to the present invention,-

Figure 3 is a plan view of the adjustable holding device shown in Figure 2 with the overlying parts removed,

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the telescopic strut or stay shown in Figure 1 but inverted with respect thereto, and showing an additional locking feature, and

Figure 5 is a plan view of part of Figure 4, showing again the additional locking feature.

In carrying the invention into effect according to one mode, by way of example, as applied to a telescopic bi-p'artite window or like stay 1, see Figure '1, one part 2 of the stay is of channel section in which the other part 3 (which may also be of channel section) telescopically slides. Secured to the inner part 3 is an adjustable holding device indicated at 4 of the slide-lock character (as previously defined) so that the holding device 4 controls or locks the telescopic movement of the two stay 2 and 3.

The adjustable holding (slide-lock) device 4 (see Figure 2) comprises a pair of opposed wedges 5 and 6 having complementary inclined surfaces 7 and 8 (see Figure 3) disposed so that a force applied to urge the wedges towards one another serves to cause their lateral faces 9 and 10 to press more firmly against the adjacent side walls 11 of the channel comprising the outer stay part 2. Between the two wedge surfaces 7 and 8 a thin flexible ribbon or strip 12 extends, being secured (not shown) at one end to one wall of the channel of the outer stay pant 2 adjacent its end and at the other end to the other side of the stay part 2 at the opposite end of the stay according to the principle clearly set forth in the above mentioned specifications.

A coupling plate 13 overlies the top surfaces of both wedges 5 and 6 (see Figures 1 and 2 only), extending beyond the ends of the wedges to terminate in downturned portions spaced 14 and 15 from the end faces of the wedges. At one end 16 the coupling plate 13 extends a further distance beyond the down-turned portion 15 and is there secured to the end of the inner pant 3 of the stay so that telescopic movement of the inner part causes like movement in the coupling plate 13 and the wedges 5 and 6 contained thereunder between the downturned portions 14 and 15.

In order to urge the wedges 5 and 6 towards one another to effect holding thrust as described, compression springs 17 and 18 are located one at the end of each wedge between the end face of the wedge and the down-turned .portion 14 or 15 of the coupling plate 13. It is preferred to provide recesses or slots 19 in the end faces of the wedges 5 and 6 to receive and locate the springs 17 and 18.

The coupling plate 13, in addition to housing the wedges 5 and 6 and springs 17 and 18 in their associated relationship and coupling them as a unit to the inner stay part 3, also serves to control the behavior of the wedges when the wedge unit is moved (or when a force which would tend to move the wedge unit is applied). To this end, the wedges 5 and 6 each carry an upstanding post 20 and 21 respectively which is received in an aperture slot 22 and 23 respectively in the face of the coupling member 13. The post 20 on the wedge 5 (i.e. that remote from the point of securement of the coupling member 13 to the inner stay part 3 by coupling plate extension 16) is located in the aperture or slot 22 in the coupling plate 13 so that there is a clearance 24, measured longitudinally of the device, only on the side of the post 20 nearest the other wedge 6, the post 20 normally abutting against the face 22a of the aperture or slot 22 farthest from the other wedge 6 so that movement of the wedge 5 is restricted to displacement in the one direction (to the right in Figure 2) (and back). The post 21 on the other wedge 6 is located centrally of its aperture '01" slot 23 so that it is free to move in either longitudinal direction therein to a limited extent. In order to maintain the wedges 5 and 6 with this relationship of their posts 20 and 21 in the apertures or slots 22 and 23, the differential or resultant of the forces applied by the springs 17 and 1-8 individually to their associated wedges 5 and 6 is such as to hold the restricted wedge 5 with its post 20 abutting against the left hand (as viewed in Figure 2) side of its aperture or slot 22 as described above.

By this arrangement if a force is applied to the stay to tend to extend its length, that force is immediately transferred via the coupling plate 13 to the post 24 of the restricted wedge 5 so as to cause the latter to react with the other wedge 6 to increase the lateral locking thrust so that the device positively locks against the side of the channel of the outer stay part 2. The release of this positive lock is described hereafter. If a force is applied to the stay 1 to tend to reduce its length, that force causes the coupling plate 13 to move (to the left as viewed in Figure 2) with respect to both wedges 5 and 6 and their posts 20 and 21 (since in this direction both post apertures or. slots 22 and 23 in the coupling member 13 have'availabl'e clearances). so that only the force of the springs 17 and 18 urge the wedges 5 and 6 together and the lateral thrust therefrom is only proportional to the strength of the springs and the device will yield under suflicient force to allow the relative movement between the stay parts 2 and 3.

If the springs 17 and 18 backing the wedges 5 and 6 are of dilferent strengths, that backing the restricted wedge 5 preferably being the weaker, then (assuming the device to be unlocked as described hereafter for movement in a stay extending direction) the force required to extend the stay will be less than that required to shorten its length. This dilferential pressure or force arrangement is more fully described in the aforementioned British patent specification No. 647,078.

In order to unlock the device when required, in the present instance for extending movement of the stay, a cam 25 is pivotally secured to the post 21 on the nonrestricted wedge 6 by a screw 26 or equivalent means and a co-operating projecting abutment 27 provided on the upper surface of the coupling plate 13, such that on manual rotation of the cam 25 as by a handle 28 it contacts the abutment 27 and thrusts itself, and with it the wedge 6 on which it is mounted away from the abutment 27, compressing the wedge backing spring 18. The other wedge 5 then tends to follow the first wedge 6, due to the urge of its own spring 17, so that its post 20 is no longer in contact with the side 22a of the abutment 01- slot 22 (as described above). Movement of the inner stay member 3 is then transmitted, not to the restricted (trailing) wedge 5 as previously but to the other (leading) wedge 6 so that the lateral thrust on the walls 11 of the channel stay part 2 is only derived from the strength of the spring 17 backing the trailing, normally the restricted, wedge 5 and the device yields under sufficient pressure.

In the case of the application of the adjustable holding (slide-lock) device to a telescopic stay, such as a window stay, the stay has, in addition to the two parts 2 and 3 and the holding device 4, suitable attachment means indicated at 29 and 30 at the free ends of the stay parts 2 and 3 respectively for securing the stay to its co-operating structure, e.g. a window and its frame. There is also provided a stop 31 secured on and projecting from the channel stop part 2 with which the handle 28 of the cam 25 engages as the stay approaches full extension. The effect of the stop 31 is to condition the adjustable holding device 4 by rotation of the cam 25 out of contact with the abutment 27 (as shown in Figure 2) so that while relative movement of the stay parts 2 and 3 will still be permitted in a stay shortening direction, after any such shortening movement the stay parts are positively locked together against any stay lengthening movement at whatever point of relative positioning the stay parts have reached during their shortening relative movement. The utility of this is that, if a window, having a telescopic window stay according to the present invention, is fully opened so that the handle 28 of the cam 25 engages the stop 31 to rotate the cam 25 to the position shown in Figure 2, then the window can be closed from the outside by a push but cannot be reopened again to any degree whatsoever without rotating the cam 25 back to the position in which it engages the abutment 27 to free the restricted wedge 5. Thus if the window is fully closed from the outside, the window cannot be reopened at all from the outside as the cam 25 cannot be reached. By this arrangement a policeman, for example, can close a ground floor window of a house, left open at night during the absence of the occupants or during the night, without having to gain access to the inside of the house. Even if the window has not been fully opened, the cam 25 can be moved manually to the lock position of Figure 2 so that the same result obtains.

The same principle can be used to lock the stay positively at any predetermined point of extension by providing an auxiliary stop 32, see Figures 4 and 5, at the desired point. The stop 32 will then operate in precisely the same way as the previously described stop 31 to lock the stay parts absolutely against further extension. Since, however, it will be required at times to extend the stay beyond the length imposed by the auxiliary stop 32, the latter is made retractable as by pivoting it at 33 and providing a backing spring 34 which urges the stop 32 to project normally. Thus after the cam 25 has been rotated (from the position shown in Figure 5 to that shown in Figure 1) by contact of its handle 28 with the stop 32, it will be necessary, in order to lengthen the stay further, to depress the stop 32 so that it is retracted and at the same time counter-rotate the cam 25 so that it is again in the position shown in Figure 5 while moving the stay parts so that the handle 28 is past the stop 32. It will be appreciated that after the cam 25 has been rotated to the lock position shown in Figure 1 by contact of the cam handle 28 with the stop 32, the stop 32 does not act as a stop proper since the stay parts are already firmly locked together by the wedges 5 and 6 of the holding (slide-lock) device 4; the same applies to the stop 31. Thus the stops 31 and 32 are operated in practise as trip devices to rotate the cam 25.

In a window stay, the auxiliary stop 32 can be used to prevent a window being opened more than say 4 inches, unless the stop 32 and cam 25 are further manipulated, by automatically locking the stay at this point. This is an important safety device, particularly in buildings where there are children, to prevent any window so fitted to be opened easily, particularly by a child, to a suflicient extent to allow the child or other person to fall out.

While the above invention has been described with reference to a stay for windows or the like, it may be applied in any suitable environment where there are relatively movable parts and there are requirements for positive locking in one direction of movement with pressure locking in the other direction.

I claim:

1. In an adjustable holding device, the combination of a guideway, co-operating wedge members slidable in the guideway and having opposed wedge surfaces, a flexible member extending between the wedge surfaces and secured to the guideway at points spaced longitudinally thereof sufficiently to permit longitudinal. movement of the wedge members, resilient means resultant to urge said wedge surfaces against the flexible member, a rigid member extending over both wedge members, means extending between each of the wedge members severally and the rigid member such that one of said wedge members is free for limited movements, relative to the: rigid member, towards and away from the flexible member passing between the wedge surfaces and the other of said wedge members is free for limited movement, relative the rigid member, in a direction towards the flexible member passing between the wedge surfaces but subject to a constraint against any movement, relative to the rigid member, in a direction away from the flexible member, whereby the wedge members clasp the flexible member between the wedge surfaces and resist any displacement of the rigid member relative to the guideway in the direction away from the side of the flexible member on which the constrained wedge member lies, and means for temporarily removing the constraint to which the constrained Wedge member is subject so that the wedge members temporarily unclamp the flexible member therebetween to permit movement of the rigid member in the previously, constrained direction.

2. In an adjustable holding device, the combination of a guideway, a co-operating pair of wedge members each having an inclined wedge surface at one end and a rearward abutment surface at the other end, the wedge members being slidable in the guideway so that their wedge surfaces are opposed, a flexible member extending between the opposed wedge surfaces and secured to the guideway at points spaced longitudinally thereof sufliciently to permit longitudinal movement of the wedge members, a rigid member extending over both wedge members and beyond their rearward abutment surfaces, abutment means at each end of the rigid member beyond the rearward abutment surfaces of the wedge members, spring means interposed between each abutment means on the rigid member and the adjacent abutment surface of each Wedge member, means forming an aperture in the rigid member adjacent each wedge member, an upstanding projection extending from each of the wedge members to pass through the adjacent aperture means in the rigid member, the relationship between the aperture means in the rigid member and the projections passing therethrough being such that due to the inter-action between the projections on the wedge members and the adjacent aperture means in the rigid member, one of said wedge members is a free wedge member and is free for limited movements, relative to the rigid member, in two directions, towards and away from the flexible member passing between the wedge surfaces and the other of said wedge members is free for limited movement, relative the rigid member, in one direction only, towards the flexible member passing between the wedge surfaces, but is a constrained wedge member being subject to a constraint against any movement, relative to the rigid member, in the other direction, away from the flexible member, whereby the wedge members clamp the flexible member between the wedge surfaces and resist any displacement of the rigid member relative to the guideway in the direction of the side away from the flexible member on which the constrained wedge member lies, and means for temporarily removing the constraint to which the constrained wedge member is subject so that the wedge members temporarily unclamp the flexible member therebetween to permit movement of the rigid member in the previously constrained direction.

3. An adjustable holding device, according to claim 2, wherein the means for temporarily removing the constraint to which the constrained wedge member is subject comprises displaceable cam means and co-operating cam abutment means mounted one on the rigid member and one on the projection upstanding from the free wedge member such that manual displacement of the cam means relative to the co-operating cam abutment means causes a relative displacement between the rigid member and the constrained wedge member and between the aperture means on the rigid member and the projection on the constrained wedge member so that the constraint on the latter is removed whereby the wedge member unclamps the flexible member therebetween to permit movement of the wedge members in the previously constrained direction.

4. In a bi-partite adjustable length stay, the combination of a guideway comprising one stay part, a second stay part telescopically slidable in said guideway, cooperating wedge members also slidable in said guideway and disposed beyond the end of the second stay part, opposed wedge surfaces on said wedge members, a flexible member extending between the wedge surfaces and secured to the guideway at points spaced longitudinally thereof sufficiently to permit longitudinal movement of the wedge members, resilient means resultant to urge the wedge surfaces against the flexible member, a rigid member extending over both wedge members and connected at one end to the adjacent end of the second stay part, means extending between each of the wedge members severally and the rigid member such that one of the wedge members is free for limited movement, relative to the rigid member, towards and away from the flexible member passing between the wedge surfaces and that the other wedge member is free for limited movement, relative to the rigid member, in a direction towards the flexible member passing between the wedge surfaces but subject to a constraint against any movement in a direction away from the flexible member, whereby the wedge members clamp the flexible member between the wedge surfaces and resist any displacement of the wedge members in the guideway, and therefore of the rigid member, in the direction extending from the flexible member opposite to that of the constrained wedge member, and means for temporarily removing the constraint to which the constrained wedge member is subject by a displacement of the rigid member relative to the constrained wedge member so that the wedge members temporarily unclamp the flexible member therebetween to permit movement of the wedge members, and hence the rigid member and second stay part, relative to the guideway in the previously constrained direction.

5. In a bi-partite adjustable length stay, the combination of a guideway comprising one stay part, a second stay part telescopically slidable in said guideway, a cooperating pair of wedge members each having an inclined wedge surface at one end and a rearward abutment surface at the other end, the wedge members being also slidable in said guideway, so that their wedge surfaces are opposed, and disposed beyond the end of the second stay part, a flexible member extending between the opposed wedge surfaces and secured to the guideway at points spaced longitudinally thereof sufliciently to permit longitudinal movement of the wedge members, a rigid member connected at one end to the adjacent end of the second stay part and extending over both wedge members and beyond their rearward abutment surfaces, abutment means at each end of the rigid member beyond the rearward abutment surfaces of the wedge members, spring means interposed between each abutment means on the rigid member and the adjacent abutment surface of each wedge member, means forming an aperture in the rigid member adjacent each wedge member, anupstanding projection extending from each of the wedge members to pass through the adjacent aperture means in the rigid member, the relationship between the aperture means in the rigid member and the projections passing therethrough being such that, due to the inter-action between the projections in the Wedge member and the adjacent aperture means in the rigid member one of the wedge members is a free wedge member and is free for limited movement, relative to the rigid member, in two directions, towards and away from the flexible member passing between the wedge surfaces and that the other wedge member is free for limited movement, relative to the rigid member, in one direction only, towards the flexible member passing between the wedge surfaces, but is a constrained wedge member being subject to a constraint against any movement in the other direction, away from the flexible member, whereby the wedge members clamp the flexible member between the wedge surfaces and resist any displacement of the Wedge members in the guideway, and therefore of the rigid member, in the direction extending from the flexible member opposite to that of the constrained wedge member, and means for temporarily removing the constraint to which the constrained wedge member is subject by a displacement of the rigid member relative to the constrained wedge member so that the wedge members temporarily unclamp the flexible member therebetween to permit movement of the Wedge members, and hence the rigid member and second stay part, relative to the guideway in the previously constrained direction.

6. A oi-partite adjustable length stay, according to claim 5, wherein the means for temporarily removing the constraint to which the constrained wedge member is subject comprises displaceable cam means and co-operating cam abutment means mounted one on the rigid member and one on the projection upstanding from the free wedge member such that manual displacement of the cam means relative to the co-operating cam abutment means causes a relative displacement between the rigid member and the constrained. wedge member and between the aperture means on the rigid member and the projection on the constrained wedge member so that the constraint on this latter is removed whereby the wedge member unclamps the flexible member therebetwcen to permit movement of the wedge members, and hence the rigid member and the second stay part, in the previously constrained direction.

7. A bi-partite adjustable length stay according to claim 6, wherein a laterally projecting cam lever is provided on the displaceable cam means and a projecting stop is provided on the guideway adjacent the end thereof and in a position to engage the cam lever on the cam means as the stay parts are moved to approach full extension, the arrangement being such that should the cam means have been left in a position freeing the wedge members for displacement in a stay extending direction, engagement between the cam lever and the stop causes the cam means to be displaced so that the constraint on the constrained wedge member is re-imposed and flexible member is again clamped between the wedge surfaces.

8. A bi-partite adjustable length stay according to claim 7, wherein a projecting displaceable stop is provided on the guideway at a predetermined distance along its length, the said stop being displaceable from a normal projecting position in which it lies in the path of movement of the cam lever to a temporarily retracted position out of said path, the arrangement being such that on relative movement of the stay parts the cam lever engages the displaceable stop so as to move the cam means to cause constraint to be applied to the constrained wedge member and consequent damping of the flexible member between the wedge surfaces when the stay parts have attained the degree of extension corresponding to the said predetermined distance of location of the displaceable stop and that, when further extension of the stay is required, the cam means is manually displaced to remove the constraint and unclamp the flexible member, while at the same time the displaceable stop is manually moved out of the path of the cam lever until the latter has passed the location of the displaceable stop.

, References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,679,686 Scckler Aug. 7, 1928 2,380,030 Deal Q July 10, 1945 2,401,107 Richmond May 28, 1946 

